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UK maritime group warns of incident in the Gulf of Oman

A United Kingdom maritime safety group is warning that an unspecified incident has taken place in the Gulf of Oman and is urging “extreme caution” amid heightened United States-Iran tensions.

The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy, put out the alert early on Thursday. It did not elaborate further, but said it was investigating the incident.

Joshua Frey, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said his command was “aware” of a reported incident in the area.

“We are working on getting details,” Frey told The Associated Press.

Iranian media reported, without offering any evidence, that there had been an explosion in the area targeting oil tankers.

The maritime alert came after attacks last month on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Iran was likely behind the May 12 incidents, without offering evidence.

The UAE, meanwhile, claimed the preliminary findings of a probe into the attacks revealed they were part of a “coordinated” operation likely carried out by a state actor, but stopped short of pinning the blame on any specific country.